In a Bubble
by Shaynerzzz
Summary: Miri is still getting over her older Brother's death, with the help of her close friends and pack members Alana and David, when mysterious Jack shows up and changes everything. I read Twilight and combined Stephenie's ideas with mine.
1. Pack Meeting

Chapter 1: Pack Meeting

"Alana! Wake up Alana!" I whispered to Alana while shaking her.

"Why?" Alana muttered under the covers sleepily.

"Because it's Saturday and the lady from the orphanage is here!" I answered.

"Ugh, why does she have to come check on us so often?"

"I don't know. Just get out of bed! Mrs. Tammy prepared lunch for us and Ms. Kimi is becoming impatient!" I whispered in annoyance.

"Fine! Fine! I'll be down in a minute! Just let me get dressed." Alana said while flinging the covers off of herself.

After I left our room, I slowly padded down the stairs thinking to myself - _Why does that lady from the orphanage always have to come and ruin my Saturdays? I would love to sleep-in like Alana, but Mrs. Tammy thinks better of me so I can't. Does it please Mrs. Kimi to come all the way from the orphanage to check on us? Gosh, why can't she just leave us alone and not burden us with the fact that we _are _orphans!_

****

When Alana was dressed she skipped down the hallway and hopped down the stairs with her long, blonde, wavy hair bobbing up and down around her arms, and her pink heart-charmed necklace bouncing around her neck.

Alana skipped into the kitchen, grabbed her sandwich, and plopped down in her chair with ease, at the kitchen table. I was being as shy as ever while Ms. Kimi asked Mrs. Tammy questions about how we were coping with our new foster home.

"So how do you like it here girls?" Ms. Kimi asked.

"Just fine." We both replied, because that was our response every time she came. We could care less.

****

After a while, Ms. Kimi finally left which meant we had the whole day left to have fun. We didn't waste any time. We were both out of the house, on our bikes, and heading for the park before Mrs. Tammy could make us clean the dishes from lunch.

"So what are we going to do today, Alana?" I asked while peddling beside Alana.

"Oh, I don't know? Watch hot guys play volleyball then go find David?" I blushed as Alana spoke of hot guys, especially hotty number one, David.

"That sounds… Okay I guess." I said in a shy whisper. Then I burst out, "But don't forget! We have to be back home before 10pm! Just so Mrs. Tammy won't get worried."

"You mean 9pm? Evidently you forgot that I'm an early bloomer, or however you want to put it."

"Oh, yeah." I said while giggling.

"Hurry up slow-poke! We have to meet David by 3 o-clock!" Alana cheerfully said while speeding up on her bike and almost leaving me in the dust.

"Hey! Slow down!" I said huffing and puffing for breath. I am unfortunately weaker than Alana and David but I am much more excellent at running.

****

"I think we should just go ahead and go hang out at David's relative's house. I can already smell the hotdogs at the park and they are making me sick!" Alana complained.

"I agree. Besides... David will be more happy if we see him earlier anyway... since he's grounded and all." I said while turning in the direction Alana was already headed- to David's relative's summer home.

When we got there, we pulled around back to a small secluded area that overlooks the lake, and went to our meeting spot. David was sitting on one of the dead tree trunks, along the water, waiting on us to get closer, but he could hear us all the way up the road.

"Hey, Lana! Bubbles! What took you guys so long? I've been waiting forever!" David yelled out when he saw us.

"Oh come on! We're early!" Alana replied.

"So? What held you up?"

"The stupid lady from the orphanage came and checked on us again! I'm getting tired of her! We've been here so long! When do we get to leave?" Alana whined.

The whole time I was looking back and forth from Alana and David, trying to follow the conversation.

"Well, my family here barely knows I'm here, ever since they grounded me, so I was thinking about going the next state over- to my aunt's house. Do you want to run that far?"

"That sounds good. As long as we find an orphanage that doesn't care if they find us good homes or not. That way it would be harder to track us down."

"Bubbles, what do you think?" David asked me.

"Whatever floats your boat!" I replied, smiling, soaking up his attention.

"There's just one thing that's bothering me…" David started to say.

"What is it?" Alana asked.

"What?" I asked a little too eagerly. I hope he didn't notice.

"Haven't you noticed a different scent lately? On the trails, I mean."

"Yea," we both said at once, "what about it?"

"I think we need to find whoever it is and ask them if they want to join us on our trip." David said.

We all thought about it for a minute then finally all agreed.

"I'll start looking for them at 9pm." Alana said.

"Okay. That leaves me and Bubbles at 10pm. Where do we search?" David asked.

"I think we all need to split up so we can find this person faster. I'll go search the northern part of town. Miri, you can search the eastern part of town. And David that leaves the southern and western parts for you." Alana decided.

David groaned at the decision and we both laughed mockingly at him.

"So what are we supposed to do until then?" I asked curiously.

"Go swimming!" David said as Alana snuck up behind me and pushed me in the lake. Then David and Alana both jumped in together making a huge splash.


	2. Miri Alone

Chapter 2: Miri - Alone

At 10pm I finally felt whole again. I was a wolf just like Alana and David- and this mystery fellow.

Alana said I was in charge of searching the eastern part of town. I was pleased with that because that left basically the entire park which meant I didn't have to hide in the shadows like Alana or David- but I was alone. So, of course, I had to be careful anyway.

About an hour later I still hadn't found a new, out-of-the-ordinary, scent so I decided to have some fun and run clear across the park to a little pond.

"All right!" I barked into the night as I started to soar. I was going so fast I really did think I was flying, so I looked down. All I saw were my red and black paws gliding across the ground.

I absolutely loved running! It makes me feel safe; like if I keep running I can run away from any danger.

I was so caught up in feeling safe and secure that I didn't even notice that I had picked up a male-wolf scent, and had been tackled to the ground by it.

He jumped back to his feet, ready to attack again but stopped to study me laying there like a bump-on-a-log.

Finally I regained most of my senses and started to get up, when I glanced over at him and had to take a double-take.

He was huge! You could see his huge muscles twitching under his charcoal fur, which looked grayish in the moonlight. He was staring at me with his icy-blue eyes, watching my every move.

"W-Why did you attack me?" I barely stumbled out of my mouth.

"You're so small. I thought you were going to be my prey." He said and started to walk off.

I limped after him.

"Aren't you going to apologize?" I said in pain. Every word I spoke made my head throb.

"Why should I?" he said sternly.

"Because it's not polite to tackle a girl and then walk off!" I screamed then grunted, figuring out that it hurt to breathe- let alone scream.

He turned to look down at me. His cold eyes were mocking me!

"Fine then, 'Princess', I'm sorry." he said in a mocking tone that matched his eyes.

I wanted to kick him or bite him or something but I blacked-out and slumped to the ground.

****

I woke up sometime the next morning in a hospital bed with things beeping all around me.

Alana noticed I was awake and nudged David to wake him up.

"Hey Bubbles. You about scared us to death when the new guy over there dragged you to my house- unconscious." David said while rubbing his eyes then pointing to this tall, buff, strong looking guy on the other side of the room. His hair was as black as night. He glanced up at me and his icy-blue eyes were full of emotion. They screamed out anger, pain, and the look of being guilty. He quickly looked back at the ground. Apparently he was uncomfortable being with a pack he didn't know. But I could tell that he was seriously sorry that he hurt me.

I reached up to my neck and held onto my bubble necklace, as I often did. It was made of this dark blue stone and it always made me feel safe when I held it.

That necklace always amazed me. It was always around my neck before I transformed and then after I transformed back there it was- in the same place, just like my clothes.

Alana and David went down to the cafeteria to get some breakfast. I told them I didn't want any and then they asked if the 'New Dude' -David's nickname for him- wanted to come.

_I guess they haven't asked his for his name yet._ I thought.

He said no so they left.

I tried to sleep some more but my chest hurt too much which made it difficult to sleep. When I opened my eyes the 'New Dude' was sitting in a chair beside my hospital bed.

He was staring at me again, with those icy and reserved eyes partly covered by his long dark bangs.

"What's... your name?" I asked.

He casually looked away, obviously not wanting to talk.

"Its ok ya' know? I forgive you, and I thank you. For taking me to my pack, I mean."

Then he sighed like he was disappointed and bored.

"My name is Miri. I'm pleased to meet you." I said not giving up. I lifted my shaky right hand up to him so I could shake hands with him.

"Yeah, sure." He said while tightly gripping my hand. I winced and he loosened his grip but didn't let go.

We sat there like that for a while. He held my little hand loosely and then began massaging it when I started to shake again. I finally spoke up and said, "David calls me Bubbles. You can call me that if you want to."

"Why were you running so fast last night in the park? Why were you even there?" He finally blurted out.

I shrugged. "Running makes me feel good, and I was looking for you. My whole pack was."

"Why?"

I took a deep breath. Talking so much was wearing me out.

"We wanted to ask you a question. Ask David about it. He's our 'Alpha' if you were wondering."

"Are you really okay?" he asked nervously. I had to let a little giggle out. "Yeah, just bruised up a bit and tired."

"…but you fainted? Do you think they'll let you leave the hospital?"

"I fainted because I was in shock and because I'm a wimp, but yes I plan on leaving. Mrs. Tammy is probably worried sick about me and Alana."

Then he gave me a questioning look and cocked his head to the side like Alana does when she's confused.

"Alana and I are orphans, but not sisters, and Mrs. Tammy is our foster parent." I explained.

"My name is Ca... I mean Jack, by the way." he said while casually looking away and letting go of my hand.

The nurse came in then and told me that I needed to get some rest and that this afternoon I could go home. I nodded at Jack and he left the room with big, silent, confident strides.

Then I slowly went back to sleep.


	3. Rude Awakening

**Yay! The third chapter is up! Please, please, please, please, PLEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSEEE review!!! I feel like no one is reading my story :( I have up to ch 9 written but I wont put all of them up if no one is reading them. So please review for me!!**

**~Shayna**

* * *

Chapter 3: Rude Awakening

_BEEP- BEEP- BEEP!_

"Ugh." I groaned and painfully rolled over in bed so I could turn of the alarm. I opened my eyes and the clock blinded me.

All I could think was, _Why is the alarm going off? I'm not going to school today! _

Then I looked over at Alana all sprawled everywhere in bed, peacefully asleep. She was about to fall off her bed- and was snoring too.

_It's amazing that _she_ didn't wake me up!_ I thought.

I slowly got out of bed, stretched, and went over to Alana and began shaking her, telling her to wake up for school.

She just groaned and rolled over.

I shook my head in disappointment and sighed, knowing Mrs. Tammy would get upset if she skipped school.

Knowing that I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, I slowly pulled on some jeans, a T-shirt, and my jogging shoes, and tip-toed downstairs to the kitchen.

I quietly padded around the kitchen preparing cereal for myself in the dark. I didn't need the light because I could see fairly well in the dark.

I sat down in my chair at the table and began eating my cereal. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the sounds around me. I could hear the clock in the next room, Alana snoring upstairs, and finally Mrs. Tammy's alarm clock going off.

_Crap_, I thought,_ she'll be down in a few minutes!_

So I quickly finished my breakfast, and put everything up, so I wouldn't be caught. I shrugged into my jacket and walked outside, deciding that I would walk to the park. _Although I might regret that later- It looks like it's about to rain_, I thought to myself.

****

On the way to the park, I felt like I was being followed. The wind was blowing all around me, so I couldn't smell anything. And I was still sore and weak, so I couldn't run if I needed to. So I began to get anxious and looked out of the corner my eye every few moments just to be safe.

A few minutes later a tall, strong looking biker-dude slowly came trailing up behind me on a pitch black motorcycle.

I tried to walk faster but wound up limping harder.

He slowly got closer and closer until he was riding slowly beside me, easily keeping up.

"Hey." He said casually while reaching out towards me with his right hand.

I tried to ignore him hoping he would go away, by staring at the ground and hunching over in my little jacket to keep warm.

"Want a ride?" he asked curiously.

He grabbed my left elbow and when I tried to shake him off his hand stayed firmly on my arm.

"Please let go of me!" I squeaked with terror. But then he yanked me closer forcing me to look up from the side walk.

He had icy baby-blue eyes that were calm and a bit reassuring.

"Ja-" I started to say but he quickly grabbed me around my waist and put me on the seat behind him with little effort at all.

"Hold on tight." He said firmly, but his advice was too late. I already had my arms wrapped around his waist as far as I could, with my hands clenched to his leather jacket.

I was scared to death! I had never ridden a motorcycle before- let alone with someone I just met!

When he jerked forward I clamped my eyes shut and tensed up even more, letting out a little whimper on accident. He must've heard because he chuckled to himself.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked, but I was too distracted by my fear to answer him.

"Where-"

"The park! I don't care! Just get me off!" I screamed into his back, cutting him off.

"Ok." he said. I could tell he was trying not to laugh- I could hear the mocking smile in his voice.

****

I couldn't tell that we had stopped until I felt his huge, warm hands prying apart my clutched fingers from his jacket.

"'Little help?" he asked.

"I think I'm stuck." I said shyly while probably blushing.

He chuckled to himself while finally un-clenching my grasp on his jacket.

He swiftly got off of his motorcycle and held out his hand to help me, but I ignored him and tried to get off myself. That didn't work as well as I'd hoped. When I got off I tripped, but he caught me and set me up right before I could react.

I noticed that we were at the park- alone. No one was around this early in the morning; so I stomped off in the direction of the pond.

Of course I didn't get far before Jack was walking beside me, keeping up with my long, angry strides easier than I'd hoped.

"You'd better slow down. You aren't fully healed yet." He warned me with his deep voice.

"I'm perfectly fine." I snapped back irritably as I broke into a run along the path. I was surprised when he didn't stop me, until I began to feel pain in my chest and slowed down to a walk again.

Surprisingly, he was beside me in a matter of seconds.

"Told ya' so." He said while gently scooping me up into his big, strong, warm arms.

I shied away from him and began kicking to try to get away, but his hold on me was like iron.

"Put me down!" I ordered but he ignored me and kept on going.

"I said-" I began but he cut me off.

"Just hush and let me carry you. It's the least I can do for hurting you." He growled, his voice sounded annoyed and his eyes were like ice.

I obeyed him and stopped struggling and he relaxed his iron grip on me.

Suddenly this huge burst of cold air rushed around us making me shudder, and he automatically held me closer to him. I didn't object, and huddled against his warm, muscular chest.

He sighed and bent his head down to smell my hair. Now I regretted not taking a quick shower this morning.

"Mmm... strawberries." He said, evidently satisfied with the smell of my hair.

Then he stopped and I was amazed that we had gotten to the pond so fast.

He sat me down, gently, on a bench that overlooked the whole pond. I looked up at him and again I couldn't believe how tall he was, or how muscular. I smiled at the thought of this huge guy riding his motorcycle with a tiny girl hanging on for her life.

He assumed that I was smiling at him so he sat down beside me on the old wooden bench.

I had a million questions running through my mind but I decided to settle for the safest one.

"How old are you?" I asked, unsure if I really wanted to know the answer.

"I'm 18. And you are..?" He said as he turned to look down at me. I had to look away because the look of shock was all over my face.

"14." I whispered so my voice wouldn't break from surprise.

All I was thinking was, _If my brother was alive he would kill me if he found me alone with an 18 year old boy, almost twice my size!_

"Why are you here? Why are you escorting me around like I'm some handicapped person? I'm perfectly fine ya' know." I blurted out when the wind blew again and he scooted closer to me.

"You didn't look fine before I picked you up. You're paler than yesterday. You were limping like crazy, and David had a feeling you were going to wonder off while he and Alana were at school- so he asked me to look after you." He replied as he looked away, across the pond at something, or someone, too far away for me to see.

"'Figures he'd get me a bodyguard." I said jokingly as I play-punched him in the side. "I may look small but I can take care of myself." I boasted proudly.

"Could you take care of yourself if you were alone and _they_ came and messed with you?" he asked, almost growling, as he pointed his chin at this lanky group of three men coming toward us from the other side of the small pond. Jack put his arm around me protectively, but I didn't mind. I was scared to death, so I tried to put on my most excellent poker face and began to stare out across the pond at a couple of fish swimming together.

The men slowed when they passed us then snickered to themselves, as Jack held me closer, and then walked on.

I hadn't even noticed that I had zoned out while staring at the fish until Jack took back his arm from around me. The sudden cold made me shiver and I huddled deeper into my jacket.

In the process of staying warm I heard a low rumble beside me, and I turned, startled, to find out that it was just Jack's stomach growling.

"Are you hungry?" I asked him.

"Mmm... very." He replied while rubbing his stomach in a circular motion.

"Then come on, bodyguard- my treat." I said as I got up and stretched and began slightly limp-walking down the path towards the nearest restaurant.

* * *

**Haha ever since I was little I was scared to ride a motorcycle, but a few days ago I got to ride one for the first time and it didn't scare me AT ALL!! It was really fun actually! Ok, anyway, if you liked this chapter PLZPLZPLZ review!!! I would love you forever and ever and ever! ^.^ Plz tell me what you think!**

**~Shayna**


	4. Typical Boy

**Chapter 4 is now up! Thanks Courtney for reviewing and favoriting!! :D Plz keep reviewing for me!**

**This chapter makes me laugh when I read it, so maybe you'll like it! If you do.... review, peeze?? lol**

**Get ta readin!! Shoo! :P**

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Chapter 4: Typical Boy

I argued with him the whole way to the small fast-food restaurant because he saw me limping again and tried to pick me up. I stood my ground and wouldn't let him. Although now I wished that I hadn't. It started raining and now I was wet _and_ cold. He also suggested that it would be faster to ride his motorcycle to the restaurant, but I guess the look of fear on my face made him forget that idea.

He was through the doors before I could ask him what he wanted and was already in line for food, staring up at the menu impatiently. I sighed as I walked over to stand beside him, as I thought about tonight. I would transform and finally be fully healed again so I could run!

_And I wouldn't need a bodyguard anymore!_ I thought.

I wasn't even hungry, so I got out my money, grabbed his enormous hand, and smacked the money in his hand. Then I walked off to find a table.

When Jack got his food he sat down across from me and began scarfing it down.

"Typical boy." I muttered as I watched him.

He just looked up at me through his black bangs- his eyes sparkling with amusement.

"What?" I asked puzzled, "Is there something on my face? Why are you looking at me like that?"

He swiftly reached across the table with his right hand to put a loose wet strand of hair behind my ear. I froze when he kept his big warm hand on my cheek. I could feel my face betraying me with a blush.

"You're pretty cute today." He murmured as he slid his hand off of my cheek and went back to stuffing his face with his hamburger.

I looked away, out the window, and through the pouring rain, wishing I could transform now and run away and hide in a hole.

The constant sound of the rain and the antibiotics that the doctors gave me made me fall into a deep sleep. I didn't know how long I had been out but eventually Jack gently shook me back to consciousness.

His sparkly eyes were full of concern. "Are you ok?" he asked cautiously.

I shook my head yes. "Yea, I'm just tired. I woke up too early this morning." I said as I got up to stretch my stiff muscles.

"Do you want to go home now?" he asked more calmly.

"Sure. Wait- how are we supposed to get home? You're motorcycle is still at the park."

A big grin spread across his face.

"Follow me." He said as he bent over and grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the door.

I was surprised to see his scary black motorcycle sitting in the parking place nearest to the door.

"When did you..?" I trailed off.

"I went and got it when you were asleep. From the sound of your soft snoring I figured you would be out for a while." He said as his smile softened.

For the first time since I woke up, I noticed that he was soaking wet.

"You went in the rain?" I asked him, bewildered.

He shrugged then took off his jacket and put it around me.

"You'll need it." He said.

"What about-" I started to say but he picked me up again and carried me out to the motorcycle. He put me on the seat in front of him, then sat down behind me and told me to zip up the jacket and to duck my head in it so I wouldn't get that wet.

It wasn't hard to completely cover myself with his jacket because it was so big! Almost three of me could've fit in there!

****

He stopped under a tree that had grown over the road, giving us some protection from the rain. We were just down the road from Mrs. Tammy's house. I figured that he didn't want Mrs. Tammy to know that he was hanging around me.

He jumped off of the motorcycle and helped me off as I gave him his jacket back.

"Thanks for the jacket." I said politely as I looked up at him and smiled.

"No problem. I don't even need it anyway, since my body temperature is so high. The cold or the rain doesn't bother me anymore." He bragged as he put it back on.

"Bye." I said as I turned around to go back to Mrs. Tammy's house.

"I'm going with you." He said.

I turned, hesitantly, back around to see that he was serious.

"How?" I asked stubbornly, putting my hands on my hips and cocking my head to the side, confused.

"Meet your new pet _dog_." He said giving an unnecessary bow. "I'm different from the rest of you. I'm older so I'm warmer, stronger, and no longer have a 'time limit' to be a wolf. I can change whenever I want. I'm in control. I'm _mature_." He said, bragging again.

"Ok then, you're my new dog. What do I call you?" I asked curiously.

"Anything you want, besides something like 'Fluffy' of course." He said seriously.

I let a giggle escape because that's exactly what I would name him.

"Oh, come on! 'Fluffy' would fit you perfectly!" I said smiling as I loaded on the sarcasm.

He shook his head no sarcastically.

"Hmm... I think I want to call you Ca-Jack, since you hesitated yesterday in the hospital." I said in a serious but still playful tone.

"That works." He said as he crouched then faded into a wolf.

His size astonished me, and he moved with such grace. His charcoal fur had a little fluff to it. He had a grey diamond-looking patch of fur behind his left eye, a little grey sock on his right hind leg, and a small tip of his fluffy tail was white.

"Well, come on." I said as I turned in the direction of the house.

He scampered up beside me and gave his tail a huge wag before he stopped beside me.

I couldn't stop myself from bursting out in laughter. I stopped abruptly when a familiar voice popped into my thoughts.

"I wasn't trying to be funny. I was _trying_ to be a _dog_." Jack said in a serious tone.

I looked down at him, surprised, and he was looking up harshly at me.

"Yes, it was me." He said in my head again.

"Ok then." I said dragging out my words- completely freaked out. But then I turned playful again.

"Fine, if you are going to act like a dog, then I'm gonna' to treat you like one."

I reached down to grab the scruff behind his neck to lead him towards the house.

"Let go of me." He complained. "I'll be good."

"Mrs. Tammy doesn't know that, so I have to look like _I'm_ in control." I said proudly as I held on tighter.

"Fine," he growled, "but let go of me when we get to your room."

"Ok." I said as we walked up to the front door, opened it, and went inside.

"Mrs. Tammy! I'm home!" I yelled loud enough for anyone in the house to hear.

"Miri? Is that you?" She asked, alarmed, from the living room.

"Yes ma'am." I said as I walked to the doorway of the living room, with Jack in tow.

"Oh, dear! Where have you been?" she asked, completely unaware of the enormous black dog at my side.

"I went for a walk at the park." I said not, completely lying.

Then she looked down at what I was holding and completely freaked out.

"W-what is t-that?" She stuttered.

"This is Ca-Jack. I found him at the park. Can I keep him?" I asked as I bent down to hug his fluffy neck as I gave her my famous pout. Then I stood back up, still pouting.

She relaxed after a few minutes, surrendering to my pout.

"She's very protective, isn't she?" Jack interrupted my thoughts.

I just looked down at him and smiled, hoping that would answer his question.

"I guess you can keep him, but you have to clean up after him. It's a lot of responsibility, you know?" She informed me.

"Yes, I know. Thank you!" I said as I turned to run upstairs. I turned around at the top and said excitedly, "Come here Ca-Jack! Come here boy!" Then I patted my knees to encourage him to come with me.

He bounded up two stairs at a time, eagerly.

"You're overdoing it, Miri." He sighed through my thoughts.

I giggled on the way to mine and Alana's room, and his growling in my head didn't help me stop.

The door to our room was open, probably so Alana could hear the conversation downstairs.

We walked in and Alana was doing something on the computer. Jack didn't hesitate to jump up on my bed and lay down comfortably, as I closed the door. Surprised, I asked, "Um, Jack, why are you on my bed?"

"Am I not aloud on your bed? I _am_ an 18 year old dog. I think I deserve to rest on a comfy bed." He murmured jokingly in my head as he laid his head down on his paws and slowly closed his eyes.

Alana was listening to her music too loud on the computer, so I sighed and walked over to take her headphones out of her ears.

"Hey! I was listening to that!" she complained.

"Do I have any homework from school? I was going to do that then rest a bit before tonight." I responded with a smile.

"Just some Algebra." She said as she pointed to the desk in the corner of the room.

"Thanks. Oh, and Jack is our new dog. Call him Ca-Jack in front of Mrs. Tammy."

That surprised her at first but then she started laughing. I couldn't help laugh too, and Jack started growling out loud as a warning to both of us.

I sighed my last laugh as Alana turned back to the computer. I looked at the clock and it read six o'clock.

_Four more hours!_ I thought excitedly as I pulled out my notebook and sat down at our little desk.

I could hear Jack's breathing quietly slow as I finished up my work.

As I put my work up I whispered to Alana, "I'm going to take a short nap before tonight. My medicine still hasn't worn off and it's making me sleepy-" I broke off with a yawn. "Go on and leave when you need to. I'll meet you at David's later."

"Ok, sweet dreams." She whispered back making sure she didn't wake Jack up.

I set my alarm for ten minutes before ten o'clock so I would have plenty of time to get ready.

I lay down in my bed and curled up under the covers, careful not to touch Jack.

Right before I completely dozed off I heard Alana walk out of the room, and then I heard the TV come on downstairs. Then unconsciousness washed over me and I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**So what do you think?? Please review for me!!!! I have more chapters to post but I won't until I have some reviews... :)**

**Ok well I MIGHT post them, but reviews would make me feel a whole lot better! please?????**

**~Shayna**


	5. Bad Dream

**Ok well I've been out of school for the whole week cuz of snow and below-freezing temps. but I'm goin back to school tomorrow! Soooo I may not post ch.6 until I have time because school loads me down with homework everyday so yea.. lol have fun reading!!**

**The beginning of this chapter is sad :( **

**but go read anyway!!! :)**

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Chapter 5: Bad Dream

"Michael! Michael, you have to get better! Please, for me?" I sobbed into my older brother's hospital bed.

"Miri, that's not going to happen, I'm sorry." He said weakly looking down at me.

"Mom needs you! _I_ need you! Please!" I looked up at him with tears streaming down my face, and gave him my best pout.

"Hey now, you know I can't resist your pout. That's not fair." He said trying to joke as he reached over and caught one of the tears rolling down my cheek.

"That's the point." I sniffed as I crawled up on the bed with him. I curled up, with his muscular arm around me, and laid my head on his enormous chest. I felt his chest slowly rise and fall with every one of his labored breaths.

"I love you." I whispered with my eyes closed.

"I love you, too." He said weakly as he bent down to kiss the top of my head. Then he slowly fell in to a coma. The nurses flooded in and one of them picked me up and carried me out, asking if I wanted ice cream or any candy.

"No!" I screamed at her. "I want my big brother! Take me back!"

I was only eight and didn't know that my brother was going to die. The nurses just said he was really sick- and he was so sick that he would have to leave me.

Later that night one of the nurses came to me in the waiting room and said that he had left.

My drunken mother came to pick me up and took me home. The next day she committed suicide right in our kitchen. I was so dazed that I ran out of the house and eventually one of my neighbors found me, collapsed on his front yard, and took me to the local orphanage. Every night I would wake up shouting, "Michael! Come back!"

Something warm and wet slid up my face, stalling my horrible dream. I stirred but didn't wake up.

It came back and this time a voice popped in my head.

"Miri? Are you ok? Wake up, please." It said, concerned.

"No, I can't." I said answering the deep and concerned voice in my head.

It laughed its beautiful deep laugh, and murmured in my head, "Very funny, Miri. Now wake up."

I tried to open my eyes, but they were glued shut from crying in my sleep. When they finally did open I let my eyes adjust, and then I realized that a huge wolf was looking down at me with relief filling his crystal eyes. Surprised at how close he was to my face, I jerked away from him and ended up rolling off of the bed. Instead of hitting the floor, I was suddenly caught and cradled in big, strong arms.

I looked up amazed, and Jack's face wasn't that far from mine. I could easily smell the sweet aroma of his breath. His eyes were studying me warily, making sure that I was ok.

He slowly stood up then sat down on my bed, still cradling me. "Are you ok? You were screaming 'Michael' and crying like crazy in your sleep." He asked, a little bit concerned.

I nodded then whispered, "I had a bad dream."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he murmured.

I shook my head 'no' as I rubbed the last bit of sleepiness out of my eyes.

I looked over at my clock and it read 9:30pm.

Surprised at the time, I jumped out of Jack's warm arms and told him to stay as I ran to the bathroom to wash my face off.

I looked horrible! My whole face was wet from the multiple tears that burst out of my eyes uncontrollably in my sleep. My eyes were partially puffy and my hair was going every which way it pleased. I took a warm wet cloth to my face and then combed through the few tangles in my hair. I quickly put my hair up in a small ponytail and sprinted back to my room.

Jack was a wolf again. He was on the edge of my bed, sitting up straight, with his ears pricked forward, and his bushy tail making silent thuds on the sheets.

I ignored him and rummaged through the room, looking for clothes to go 'jogging' in. Mrs. Tammy thinks that Alana and I jog every night from ten at night to one in the morning, so I have to look the part.

I finally found some clothes to change into and began stripping when I remembered that Jack was still in my room, watching me intently.

"Why'd you stop?" Jack asked curiously, messing up my thoughts again.

"Because an 18 year old pervert is sitting on my bed." I answered glumly.

"Ouch." He said shocked.

"Get out."

"Do you have to ruin the fun?" he murmured as he leaped off of my bed and took a few steps toward me. I took a step back and bumped into my desk.

He laughed as he swiftly walked up to me. He was as tall as my waist. When he was right in front of me he changed again into a man. His left arm swiftly moved around my waist and pulled me to him, as he put his right hand on the back of my head and pulled me into a warm, loving hug. It reminded me of my brother's hugs, and I fought back a sob.

"Please get out. I don't have that much time left..." I whispered frantically.

"Tell me who Michael is." He said calmly and slowly.

Hearing my brother's name felt like a bolt of lightning shot through me, and I flinched every time I heard it.

I hesitated before I choked out, "He was my brother. He... died when I was eight."

He let go of me and crouched over into a wolf again.

"Hurry up and change clothes. I'll be downstairs with Mrs. Tammy." He murmured in the middle of my frantic thoughts as he slowly walked out of the room.

I almost collapsed from the pain in my heart, but I knew that I didn't have time to crawl into the fetal position and let the pain take over- so I stayed strong, and changed into my clothes, and ran downstairs.

I found Jack sitting by Mrs. Tammy's recliner in the living room, letting her pet him on his head and behind his ears. His fluffy black tail was pounding the floor with pleasure as she pet him.

"Hey, Mrs. Tammy, it's time for my nightly jog." I said, not really wanting to mess up their bonding.

"Finally." Jack said, popping up in the middle of my thoughts, yet again.

"Ok dear, be careful." She said still petting Jack.

"Come _on_ Ca-Jack." I said urgently.

"Ok, Ok." He mumbled as he sauntered on over to my side. I was glad Mrs. Tammy couldn't hear his silent bickering in my head.

I grabbed his neck then opened the door and walked out and began jogging until we were out of Mrs. Tammy's sight.

When we turned around the corner of the next block, I was in mid-step when my time ran out. I sighed with relief as I let go of Jack, and faded into a wolf. I now had about three hours to be free.

"Let's go meet David and Alana!" I said to Jack as I broke into an excited run.

He ran up in front of me easily and cut me off.

I skid to a stop with a puzzled look on my face. "What are you doing?" I asked him. He looked me over then said, "Are you sure you're fine? You were crying really hard in your sleep."

I sat down on the damp ground, closed my eyes, and flipped my ears down and back with irritation. "I'm fine. Just a little shaken, but that's all." I said slowly with my eyes still closed.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" he asked, his voice closer than last time.

My right ear flickered forward and I could hear his enormous paws inching closer. Instantly I moved my ear back again and opened my eyes to see that he had his head bent down to my level and was looking straight at me.

In the moonlight, I noticed that his eyes were more sparkly than before.

I sighed as I looked down at the wet ground. "I _might_ tell you, after I go check with David to see if we were going to do anything tonight." I said as I got up and walked around him- keeping one ear on him, cautiously.

"Ok, but after we meet him, I need to come back and get my motorcycle." Jack said as he walked beside me.

"Fine." I said, but then I got an idea. "Race ya'!" I barked at him as I broke into a determined run.

He laughed behind me, but then he was beside me in a matter of seconds.

He bent his head down to murmur in my ear, "That's not very challenging. Don't push yourself too hard."

"Oh, I won't!" I said confidently as I ran faster, and scooted up ahead of him. He inched up beside me faster than I thought he would. I pushed myself to run faster than I think I've ever run before, but there he was, keeping up with me like it was nothing. I'm faster than Alana _and_ David, so since he was keeping up with my rapid pace so easily, I began to get aggravated.

I was so distracted, that I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings, and I ran straight into a thorn bush at full speed.

"Oww." I whined as I realized that the thorns had poked my nose and were stuck all throughout my fur.

I heard a low human chuckle burst out from behind me and when I looked around there was just more thorns and branches.

"Jack? Where are you?" I asked terrified that I was stuck.

"Shouldn't I be asking that? You flew into a bush and disappeared!" he said as his laughing got louder.

"Stop it! This hurts and I think I'm stuck." I complained as I tried to move around.

The laughing stopped and I heard footsteps getting closer.

The next thing I knew, a huge hand came through the bush and started feeling around for something and I shied away from it.

"Where are you _at_?" Jack asked confused.

I licked his hand because I was afraid to move

"Right here." I said, more relaxed.

He reached toward me then finally found me. His hand slid over my head and stopped on my neck. "Forgive me." He said as he grabbed the scruff on the back of my neck and yanked me out of my thorny cage.

I yelped in pain as he picked me up and pulled me through more thorns and branches. He sat me down and changed back so he could talk to me easier.

"You look rough. Are you ok?" he said more concerned than before.

"Um, does it look like I'm ok?" I said then tried to chew some of the thorns out of my fur. But it was no use- they were stuck.

"Watch it. You don't need to get your nose infected." He said reminding me that my nose had been poked with multiple thorns.

"Ouch." I said as I felt the blood pulsing out of the small wound. He stepped forward and slowly started licking my nose as he kept his eyes carefully on mine.

When he finally cleaned up the little wound he took a step back and spoke. "We should hurry and go see David, and then maybe we can go to my apartment and get you cleaned up."

"Um… sure?" I said not too sure if I wanted David to see me like this.

****

We hurried over to David's then I led the way to our secret meeting spot. Alana and David were waiting on us like I thought they would be.

"Oh my gosh! Miri! What happened to you?" Alana burst out as she saw what a wreck I was. She jumped up and skipped over to me to investigate. Her beautiful snow-white fur shimmered brightly in the moonlight. I sighed, envying her flawless pure white coat.

"Did you trip and fall again?" David asked, clearly somewhat enjoying how I looked.

"No!" I said defensively. "I ran into a bush..."

David was laying on an old log, and his deep brown fur helped him blend-in easily. He jumped off of the log and slowly, but proudly, walked over to me to get a better view. He noticed my nose at once and licked it softly a few times before turning to Jack. I almost fainted when he licked my nose so carefully, almost as if there were more feelings behind it than there should've been.

"Jack, you were supposed to protect her. Can I trust you next time?"

"Yes. I promi-"

"Next time?" I said as I cut Jack off. I knew I got hurt often, but I didn't know that David was basically forcing Jack to protect me from myself- which was extremely difficult to do.

"Yes. Next time you might get hurt in any way Jack will be there to hopefully stop you." David stated with authority as he continued to glare at Jack.

"Oh, yea, _sure_. Am I supposed to believe that that's _possible_? I mean, _look at me_! He couldn't even stop me from running into a _bush_!" I was furious now. Like I needed to be protected!

David laughed then looked over at me.

"Calm down, Miri." He said with a little force in his voice.

I felt stupid for bursting out at my alpha when it wasn't my turn, so I obeyed and sat down, closed my eyes, and took several deep breaths. He waited until I was calm enough to explain.

"Jack told me about other people like us up in Tennessee. He told me how he ran away from them because of some personal reasons-" he broke of as he glanced over at Jack, "But he also told me about other things that I think I'll tell you _after_ you are cleaned up."

"Yea, Miri, you look horrible." Alana cut in with a little authority.

"I know, but I can't go back to Mrs. Tammy's house. She'll catch me and take me to the pound or somethin'." I thought aloud.

"She could go to my apartment. I have to take my motorcycle by there anyway." Jack said.

David thought about it for a few seconds and then answered, "That sounds... fine. Just have her home the same time Alana gets home so Mrs. Tammy doesn't get suspicious."

Jack nodded then looked over at me. "Lets go." he said. He turned around and sprinted off. I hesitated as I looked back and forth from David's to Alana's encouraging eyes, and then turned to quickly catch up to Jack.

* * *

**..So what did you think? PLZ review!!!!!!!!**

**~Shayna**


	6. Slow, Painful Memories

Chapter 6: Slow, Painful Memories

Jack _does_ run pretty fast, because we were back where he left his motorcycle quicker than I thought we would be.

He asked me if it was okay for me to run along side of him when he rode his motorcycle- I don't think he wanted me to poke him with the pesky little thorns in my fur. I didn't mind, because I love to run, but he also said this, "Try talking to me in my head like I did to you."

I was caught off guard by what he said and he didn't give me time to respond before he changed back into a man. I closed my eyes and fully concentrated on what I was going to say, then opened them and shot and insult in the direction of his brain.

"You're an _idiot_." I said playfully so he wouldn't get mad.

He looked surprised as my voice successfully popped up in the middle of his thoughts.

"Well, yes, I am. But what did I do this time?" he asked out loud as he swung a leg over the side of his bike and sat down.

I got ready to run and shot a response back at him, "You didn't teach me how to do this. You left me to figure this out on my own!"

"You seem to be getting better at it." He said as the motorcycle roared to life.

"I'm a quick learner." I said as he slowly took off, waiting for me to catch up.

****

I became more excited, as I ran faster and faster with my tongue hanging out and flopping around, as we got closer to his apartment complex.

"Are you getting tired?" Jack yelled over the roaring monster at me.

"No." I thought breathlessly. "I'm fine."

"Okay, we're almost there. Hang on a bit longer." He yelled back.

"Quit treatin' me like some baby! I'm fine." I muttered. He just shrugged as we pulled into the parking lot.

He found the parking place in front of his apartment and slid in place. I slowed to a stop and collapsed, panting, next to his motorcycle.

"Oh _crap_, Miri. Are you okay?" His voice sounded distant, like he was on the other side of the lot. I opened my right eye- realizing they were both closed- and looked up and he was right there beside me. He was kneeling on the ground with his hand outstretched hesitantly in mid-air over me. I closed my eye back and shot him a muffled response. "I'm fine. Let me catch my breath."

He didn't listen to me. Suddenly I was in his warm arms. He carried me into his apartment- but I never remembered him opening the door- and laid me on what I figured was his couch. Then he disappeared from beside me, and when he came back I felt something slightly heavy sink into the couch right in front of my nose.

I jerked my head up and my eyes shot open with shock as he sprinkled drops of water on my face. Water! It was in the bowl in front of my nose. I began gulping it down as I heard Jack's low chuckle.

"So you _were_ thirsty, huh, girl?" he said mockingly.

"Quit treating me like a dog." I said silently to him.

"But you _are_ a dog."

"Am not- I'm a wolf."

"You're too small to be a wolf. I'd say you were more husky-puppy-sized than wolf-sized." He said, picking on my size.

"So what if I'm small…" I trailed off stubbornly.

"And about this wolf stuff- aren't you a werewolf like me?" He was sitting beside me now.

"No, I'm a wolf. And in a few hours I'll be a human again. _You_ are a werewolf 'cause you can control when you change back and forth. I can't yet." I said proudly, because when I was younger I had asked my older brother a very similar question.

We were silent for a few moments as that new information settled in and as my thirst was finally quenched.

"Feel better?" he asked kindly.

"Yes, very much." I thought back.

"I'm glad. Do you mind if I take a quick shower? I can't take one at your house." He seemed unsure yet excited at the same time.

"Why are you asking me? This is _your_ apartment."

He stood up and shrugged, then walked off in the direction of, I assumed, his bedroom.

****

I hate the dark- it makes me feel a little claustrophobic- so I lazily jumped off the couch and looked for a light-switch. When I found one that I was positive would light up the living room, I propped my front paws on the wall and flipped the switch with my nose.

It lit up the kitchen.

I went to the opposite wall and found another switch and flipped it on too, relieved that it lit up the small living room.

I retrieved the bowl from the very cushy couch and skipped into the kitchen. I propped my front paws on the counter next to the sink and nudged the bowl onto the counter. Then I went over to the light switch and propped myself up with my left paw as I stretched to reach it with my right paw. When I flipped it off I went back in the living room.

I looked around and almost felt at home in the tiny, surprisingly clean, space.

The room contained a TV with a small entertainment center, a recliner to the left, and the big couch that took up most of the room.

I jumped up on the couch and curled up in the corner and laid my head on the arm of the couch that was facing the bathroom. The smell of an ocean breeze and some steam was escaping the bathroom along with a low humming sound. I quickly realized he was humming "You Are My Sunshine" which is one of my favorite songs. My brother used to sing it to me when I was little. I welcomed that memory because it comforted me just like he used to.

"How'd you know that I liked that song?" I asked Jack.

I heard a bang from the bathroom, which sounded like he dropped his shampoo bottle. _I must've scared him._ I thought to myself. _I guess he still isn't used to my voice popping up in his thoughts._ I smiled at that thought.

"Sorry." I said.

A few minutes later he opened the door and stepped out. He was only wearing a towel around his waist. In the short time that I'd known him, I never realized just how strong and buff he'd looked- except for when we met. He literally had the body of a model. He leaned against the wall in a calm, relaxed way.

"Sorry for what?" he ask curiously, slurring his words together.

"Sorry for scaring you."

"You didn't scare me." He said as he raised a brow and gave me smirk.

"Go put some clothes on." I said, not wanting to look at his incredibly attractive, half-naked body.

"Why? Am I bothering you?" he said as he took big steps across the room in my direction.

"Yes! Now don't you come any closer or I'll bite your _head_ off!" I snapped at him as I jumped off of the couch and faced him with low, unlady-like snarl.

He held up his hands in surrender and backed up a few steps and said, "Okay, okay, okay. No need for the Chihuahua to get all shook up. I'll go put something decent on." He winked at me then turned and headed to his room.

"Jeez." I muttered as he closed his door. He tried not to laugh at me but was unsuccessful. I heard his muffled laughing clearer than I wanted to.

I jumped back on the couch and got comfortable again as I waited for him to come back. I was amazed when I heard him humming to himself the song that I loved, yet again. I began to calm down a little more, and my eyelids began to droop. I realized why I was getting sleepy- Michael used to sing this to me as a lullaby! For a reason unknown to me or him it would always put me to sleep faster than he could get done with the second verse.

_No! I have to stay awake!_

I fought my eyelids but couldn't keep them open long enough to stay awake. I was almost unconscious when I heard Jack's deep voice ask, "Is the couch really that comfortable?" Then he shook me and roused me from my almost-sleep.

"No… it was that song." I thought lazily to him.

"You like my singing?"

"Hah… kinda."

"No really- why did that song knock you out?" He sat down on the other side of the couch.

I was silent and I could literally feel his impatience level rising rapidly. I hid my eyes under my paws and replied, "My brother used to sing that to me as a lullaby."

"Hmm… cool. Now I have a secret weapon." He smirked and I grimaced.

_I shouldn't have told him! Now he's gonna' use it against me!_

"Yes I will." He said and his smile got wider. "Now you need to control your thoughts, Miri, or I'll hear what you don't want me to. By the way, when are you going to tell me about your brother?"

I lifted my head from under my paws and gave him a serious look.

"I'll tell you when I'm a human again and when we have more time. Speaking of time- _what time is it_?"

He glanced over at the clock on the wall then back and said, "Twelve-thirty? Why?"

"Oh my gosh! I change back at one! I have to get back to Mrs. Tammy's house!" I shot him a panicked look.

"Alright, okay, calm down. We can run back. But wait a sec." he said as he got up and disappeared in the bathroom. He came back out with a brush in his hand. "I think you'll want this when you change back."

"Thanks." I thought silently to him.

"No problem. Here." He said as he put the brush in front of my face. I looked up at him as if he were crazy.

"Bite it and carry it." he said.

"Carry it in my mouth? Gross! Why can't you carry it?"

"Yes, carry it in your mouth. You have to carry it because I have something else to carry." The look he gave me then froze my next comment. His crystal blue eyes were frozen with hurt emotion.

I bit down on the brush handle as I wondered about what I did to deserve his icy stare and tone. But as soon as I took the brush he picked me up and headed for the door.

"Why are you carrying me?" I whispered in my head.

"Because I have snoopy neighbors. They saw me carry you in and they're gonna' see me carry you back out." He stated blankly.

I didn't argue with him as we went out the door, because I saw several parted blinds in the front of apartments around us, with eyes peeking out.

I relaxed when we were out of sight of the complex. He sat me down and changed into an enormous black wolf. I could barely see him in the dark, but I could see his pale-blue eyes, the white tip on his tail, and his left front sock.

He led me back to the house through the woods because he said it was quicker. We came out into the clearing from earlier and Alana was stretched out on the ground alone waiting.

She perked her ears up and lifted her head when I walked closer. She nodded her head as a 'hi' and nodded to Jack as well then laid her head back down.

I could hear the crickets chirping loud enough that they should be in my ear, not half a mile away. Then everything was suddenly quieter.

I looked down and realized I was standing on two legs instead of four. I looked over at Alana and she was laughing silently to herself. I remembered the brush in my mouth and quickly took it out and started brushing the thorns out of my hair.

A hand twice as big as mine reached for the brush and took it. Jack started brushing my hair for me. His icy eyes were thawed out and were a little sympathetic, as he gently untangled my messy hair.

I began picking the thorns out of my clothes and Alana thankfully helped too.

When Jack was done he changed back and we walked to the house and crept in and up to our room because Mrs. Tammy had already gone to bed.

I put on my green paw-print pajamas when Alana put on her matching pink ones.

"Can I come in now?"

We locked Jack out of the room, so I went and opened the door for him and let him in.

I crawled into bed and looked over at Alana. She was already curled up in bed with the sheets placed neatly over her. I smiled because in the morning she wouldn't have any sheets and she'd be sprawled all over the bed, if not half-way off the bed.

I turned off the lamp and pulled the covers over me.

Jack jumped up and laid down on the edge of the bed. "Goodnight." He said in my head.

"Goodnight." I replied out loud.

"Goodnight to you too, Miri." Alana murmured almost as if she were talking in her sleep.

I let out a giggle because that 'goodnight' wasn't meant for her. I rolled over and curled up and quickly fell into a night full of dreams.


	7. Twisted Ankle

Chapter 7: Twisted Ankle

**Jack's Point of View**

Watching her sleep was pure torture. She'd be lying as still as can be then she would mumble 'Michael' and a stray tear would roll down her face. Every time she said her brother's name it got louder and clearer. _I bet by morning she'll be screaming…_

Every time I'm with her I have a strange urge to always want to be with her. Cindy didn't ever make me feel this way. Sure, she was beautiful, but I've never felt this way before. She even wanted to get married, but I left her before we did. I didn't tell her I was leaving. I wonder if she was hurt or if she just found another guy to go hang all over.

I never want to see that woman again. I never want to go back to Tennessee again! _But it would be nice to take Miri up to the Mountains, maybe for a nice picnic…_

_Snap out of it! It's never going to happen!_

"Michael! Don't…" Miri mumbled slightly louder. She rolled over as another tear escaped the corner of her eye. Why does she act so tough? Why does she hide her pain like its nothing? I have to find out, and soon. I have to make her happy.

_Didn't she say that her brother used to sing to her? I guess I could help her out a bit,_ I thought as I began to softly sing "You are my Sunshine" in her head. She began to almost instantly relax and I never saw another tear roll down her cheek.

I went to sleep feeling proud of myself for making her happy. Oddly enough, I wanted to always be with her, protect her, and always make her happy, but I knew I couldn't. She's too stubborn to let anybody help so she suffers alone, I bet. _A lullaby every night will have to do for now,_ I thought as I drifted off to sleep.

****

**Back to Miri!**

School is a drag.

Alana seems to enjoy it though.

It's the end of the school year and the teachers are running around taking everyone's textbooks, and making us clean out our lockers.

The only class I had to catch up on was Algebra І. Mrs. Pie is the only teacher probably in the whole school that is still giving out homework. She strives in torturing us until the last day- even if the assignment isn't for a grade; we still have to do it. If you miss a day, tough cookies, because you still have to make up the work.

Alana enjoys school because she can have fun and gossip around with her girlfriends. I mostly hang around either David or my somewhat-best-friend Lola- depending on what class I have. David likes to stick close to me since I end up in danger so often. Alana tries to get me to join her popularity circle but that doesn't work. I don't think her friends like me, but I could care less.

My fun comes around when I have Gym class. I'm the fastest runner in the whole grade- I even make some of the guys jealous. Though I'm fast, it doesn't mean that I'm very coordinated with the rest of my body. In the little games we play, all the people that are mad at me take full advantage of my klutziness.

Thankfully, David's Alpha instincts take over sometimes and he protects me from whatever they are throwing at me.

It's two days till school lets out and they _still_ want revenge; even though tomorrow is my birthday.

Today's game is good-ole dodge-ball.

"Ow. Ow. Ow." I said repeatedly as my so called 'friends' ambushed me with squishy, foamy balls. You'd think they'd be soft, but they were throwing them so hard they hurt. I peeked out from under my hands when I stopped getting smacked everywhere, and saw David standing there, deflecting attacking balls with his own hand.

"I gotcha' Miri. Just stay still and I'll-" he broke off to smack another ball out of the air. "-take care of everything."

"Ok." I said and made sure to stay exactly behind him.

I looked over at the coach and he had his back to us with his phone to his ear. _Great! The coach is having a hunky-dory time on the phone while the 8__th__ graders go to war!_

Everyone against David and me. Wonderful.

"You're out David!" a boy yelled.

"Bull!" David yelled back and continued to smack balls out of the air.

"You are! If you smack the ball without catching it then you are out! You've been out this whole time! Move outta' the way!" _Stupid teacher's pet._

"Now they wanna' follow the rules?" I whispered to David.

He just laughed and continued.

"Move, Knight!" another kid yelled.

"David give me a ball." I said as I nudged his arm.

"No, Miri. I got it."

"I'm serious. Give me one." I said nudging him again.

"Are you sure?" he turned to look at me and his eyes were serious and full of worry.

"Yes. No. Maybe. I don't know! Just give me one anyway."

"Ok." He said as he handed me a green ball and stepped out of the way.

Everyone stopped and gawked at me as I pulled my arm back to throw. Something hilarious happened then. I hurled the ball at the teacher's pet and it bounced off of him and ricocheted off several kids near him.

Everyone forgot about me and picked up a ball and threw it at someone randomly. A whole different war started out with everyone on their own team- yelling, laughing, and some crying.

"Way to go Bubbles!" David yelled while giving me a high-five.

"Thanks." I said while blushing a bit, when he used my nickname.

He took my hand and pulled me out of the chaos to a place by the bleachers.

"Did they hurt you?" he asked.

"Not any more than usual." I said looking down at my arms still feeling the pain from where the balls hit me.

He sighed then ran his fingers through his chocolate brown hair.

"What?" I asked.

"You're so small… I hate seeing you get hurt. You're my responsibility. When you were unconscious at the hospital…" he trailed off shaking his head.

"I'm not that small!"

"You're still shorter than me no matter what you say."

I just crossed my arms stubbornly. When the coach turned around, after hanging up his phone, the look on his face was priceless. He finally got everything under control and had to send a few people to the nurse. After that he blew his little whistle and told everyone to go change, so I stomped away from David in the direction of the locker room.

****

"Since tomorrow's the last day of school, are you gonna' come?" Lola asked.

"I might, Lola, but I'm not sure." I replied.

"School isn't fun on your birthday, ya' know?" David cut in.

We were walking down the hall after Gym class, away from our lockers. Gym was our last class of the day. David and I were fixing to go find Alana and go home.

"Tomorrow's your birthday?!" Lola asked franticly.

"Yeah, I guess I forgot, huh?" I said. I don't really pay attention to my age. Every year goes by in a blur, ever since Michael died.

"How old are you going to be?" Lola asked.

"Um… 15." I replied when we got to the double doors that led outside. David opened the door for us and when we walked out Alana saw us and came over.

"Hey, Miri! Are you ready to go home?" Alana asked.

"I guess."

"Oh my gosh! Who's that scary guy over there in the parking lot leaning on his motorcycle? Miri, he's staring a hole through you! Are you sure you don't want to ride the bus with me?" Lola whispered franticly in my ear.

Alana and David both heard her and looked over at the guy and laughed.

"Lola, don't worry. We know him. I'll go see what he wants."

Lola took my arm and held me back. "Miri, I don't trust him."

"You're gonna' miss your bus, Lola." I said as I shook her hand off my arm.

"Oh! You're right. Bye Miri!" Lola yelled as she ran to her bus.

I sighed. "She's so scatter-brained. I guess I'll go see what Jack wants."

"Do you want us to go with you?" David asked.

"No, I'll be fine. David, you can take my bike and ride home with Alana if you want."

He just nodded and walked away with Alana over to the bike rack. I could hear them laughing when they got ready to go.

When they were gone, I started to walk over to Jack but halfway there I tripped over my own feet but balanced myself and kept going. He smirked at me and stood up straight and began walking towards me, with his hands in his pockets.

His icy blue eyes were melted and warm. They reminded me of the warmth of the ocean; like I could swim in them.

I didn't notice the step down from the curb to the parking lot and stepped wrong and flew to the ground. I screamed in pain when my ankle twisted then fell on my hands and knees with a grunt. I crumpled to the ground and started crying. I wasn't crying because of the pain; I had just finally had it with pretending that I was perfectly fine when I really wasn't. My shell finally cracked and it was falling apart piece by piece in my desperation.

"Miri, sweetheart, it's Ok. Don't cry."

Those words plunged me deep into my memories back to when I was 5 years old and I had fallen off my bike. Michael had picked me up and cradled me to calm me down. But Michael didn't say those words just now- Jack did.

Jack was on his knees beside me with the look of confusion and worry crashing around in the ocean of his eyes.

"Jack!" I squeaked and jumped into his lap and put my arms around his neck. He was shocked at first but then he put his warm arms around me. I didn't even realize I was still crying until he said, "Shh, it's Ok, it's Ok."

I pulled back to wipe the tears away when he bent down to kiss my forehead. I jerked away shocked and scared, and tried to get up, but he pulled me back and held me against his chest tightly.

"Jack let go of me." My order was muffled against his chest.

"Miri, you're hurt. You can't get up." He said as he started patting my head gently and playing with my hair.

"How do you know? You won't let me up." I said as I tried to push myself away.

He let me go and helped me up, but before I could stand he lifted me up to where my feet hovered over the ground. "You tell me if it hurts, Ok?" he asked before he slowly set me down. I grimaced when I shifted my weight onto my left foot.

"Where?" was all he asked.

"It's nothing." I said and leaned my weight onto my right foot.

"The look on your face doesn't look like 'nothing'." He said.

"You don't have to worry about me. I get hurt like this all the time." I said and smiled so I could hide the annoying pain.

"Physically or emotionally?" his eyes searched mine for an answer.

A stray tear rolled down my face as I turned away from him and limped over to his bike. I carefully climbed on and sat down and looked at my hands. They were scratched up but had already stopped bleeding. Jack was slowly walking over so I put my hands on the handles so he couldn't see them.

"What are you doing?" he asked as he just stared at me; studying me.

"I need to go home or Mrs. Tammy is going to get worried."

"Are you going to drive?" he said as his eyes flickered to my hands then back to me. I jerked my hands away from the handles and crossed my arms. "No. I'm not."

"Well, if you scoot back I'll take you home." He said as he pointed to the seat in the back.

"I'm not riding back there. It's scary!"

He thought about it for a minute then smiled. "Scoot up then and don't touch anything."

I obeyed him and he got on but just sat there. "Umm Jack," I said, "I kind of need to go?"

"Grab the handle bars." He whispered in my ear. I reached up and grabbed them tightly. He cranked it up then put his hands on top of mine. A spark of electricity literally ran up my spine when he leaned forward.

_Why am I acting like this? I don't like him. He's annoyingly clingy. And he's 18 for goodness sakes! This is crazy!_


	8. The Photo

Chapter 8: The Photo

"Is anyone home?" I yelled through the house, after unlocking the door.

"No one is here. I'm going up to your room." Jack said as he switched to a human and slowly walked up the stairs.

I walked into the kitchen and there was a note on the counter. It said:

**_Miri,_**

**_Alana and David came by and said that you stayed late after school. I had to go run a few errands and I'll be back in a few hours. You can go ahead and jogs if you want, just don't be home later than you usually are!_**

**_Love,_**

**_Mrs. Tammy_**

_Do I ditch Jack and go run? Or do I risk everything and tell him about Michael? There's no way he's going to let what just happened in the parking lot slide without an explanation._

I sighed and skipped up the stairs. I opened my door and found Jack on my bed, lying on his back, with a picture in front of his face.

He sat up, still staring at the picture. "Is this him? Your brother?" he said as he turned it around to face me. At first I only saw me in the picture, but as I looked at the other person, my heart skipped a beat. The man in the picture staring back at me had my eyes, my hair, and looked like my twin. He was smiling but it was only for the picture. He was lying in a hospital bed with an IV in his hand and had several machines around him. I had crawled up on the bed with him for the picture and he had his big muscular arm tightly around me.

A tear rolled down my cheek and I nodded.

"Will you tell me about him now?" Jack asked softly as he patted the bed beside him.

I was silent as I walked over to my desk, put my purse away, then went back over to him and sat down. Silent tears rolled down my face as I thought about what I was fixing to do.

"It's been seven years since…" I trailed off as the tears poured down my face. He took my hands in his and I looked up into the calm ocean of his eyes. "All I want you to do is tell me _about_ him. You don't have to say anything about what _happened_ to him. I wouldn't ever hurt you like that."

I nodded and he let go of one of my hands to wipe my tears away.

I inhaled and exhaled deeply then began. "When I was born, my mother hated me. She wanted to kill me. But Michael wanted a baby sister so she kept me for him. He never let me out of his sight, because he was scared that if I were alone, Mama could get her chance, and no one would know.

"Michael and I were ten years apart so when I was born he was only ten and he could barely take care of me, but he tried his hardest. He was maturing faster than most boys his age because he was a maturing werewolf. So by the time I was two and he was twelve, he had the strength of a sixteen year old.

"When I was five and starting kindergarten he gave me some space so I could make some friends. Then one day he disappeared. That night I heard a wolf howling, so when I changed into a little wolf pup, I went exploring. I found him and he had told me that he was almost fully mature, but that he couldn't switch back. When he finally figured out how, he followed me to school, went to school himself, then walked me home.

"When I would talk about the cute boys in my class he would always say, 'Boys have cooties- so stay away from them, okay?' and I would believe him." I said as I let out a giggle.

"He spent more and more time watching over me so he didn't change into a wolf that much. Michael started getting very sick when he was seventeen very often, so our mom of course took him to the doctor, and I had to tag along too.

"My mom started crying when the doctor told her what was wrong with him. She was talking about my dad- how he had died of some disease before I was born. Michael had the same disease our dad had, and the doctor couldn't help.

"Of course my mom blamed it on me, and then went to drink or do whatever she did when she was mad at me. I never really understood why she got so mad at _me_ until Michael explained it to me. He said that the only werewolves in our family were male. She was jealous of me because I _was_ a werewolf. She called me a monster, an animal that shouldn't be allowed to live. She gave me a horrible name which means 'bitter' because she said it fit me.

"She loved me when I was born, but when the clock stroke 10pm, she tried to strangle me. Michael had always kept me away from her since then.

"Michael had the same color hair and the same bright green eyes like me. If he was younger we could've pasted as twins. He was always there, always protecting me, always kind and gentle. He taught me right from wrong, and taught me other things too. Like how to cook for myself when he wasn't there. He helped me with my homework, and taught me how to tie my shoes. He even taught me how to ride a bike. He was basically my dad, mom, and a brother all rolled into one, and that didn't seem to bother him.

"He never treated me as a burden. He loved me. He was the _only_ one who loved me." I smiled and glanced over at Jack, and he was looking away, with pain written all over his face.

"Ya' know what, Jack? You remind me a lot of my brother." I smiled and a small tear ran down my face.

That got his attention. He jerked his face around to look at me and I could tell he was deep in thought. The waves were beginning to get choppy, like they were confused.

I remembered that we were holding hands so I tried to let go, but he held on tight to my hand.

"Jack?" I asked, confused, as I looked into his eyes. He looked like he was debating whether to say something or not, like it was really important but he didn't know if he should say it.

"Jack, what is it? You can tell me." I said as I squeezed his hand.

He sighed, frustrated, as if he were giving up. "It's nothing." He said as he let go of my hand. "Is your ankle ok?"

I looked down at my ankle as if realizing it was still there and said, "Yea, its fine. It doesn't hurt anymore."

"Are you tired? You could take a nap before tonight if you want. I have to take my motorcycle back to my apartment before my neighbors get too suspicious."

I thought about how good a nap would feel, and then shrugged. "I don't care." Then I smiled and said, "Go do what you need to do."

He stood up then stretched. "I won't be gone long." He bent down to kiss my forehead and turned to disappear out the door.

I sat there dazed as I replayed that in my head. The way he said 'I won't be gone long' sounded like he _really_ didn't want to go. Then I reached up to touch my forehead where his warm kiss felt like it was permanently melted into my skin. I even got up and looked into the mirror on our dresser to make sure it wasn't really there. I moved my hand down to grip my necklace as I pulled the covers back from my pillow. I crawled under the sheets and curled up, still tightly gripping my necklace. Then I slowly drifted to sleep, with confusing dreams playing tricks behind my eyelids.


	9. 10:10pm

**This is the last chapter I'll put up for a while! I've started on Ch. 10 but it's not done.. and I don't really have time to finish it right now :/**

**If you like my story then please let me know by reviewing!!! If no one reviews then I won't add any more :P**

**~Shayna**

* * *

Chapter 9: 10:10pm

I woke up groggily at about nine thirty and rolled out of bed. I walked to the bathroom to clean my face then went downstairs to get a quick drink. Jack was in the living room watching a football game. He heard me come downstairs and said, "Did you have a nice nap?"

I took a drink of my tea then said, "Why didn't you wake me up?" I walked into the living room just as he shrugged.

"I figured you'd need the sleep since you stay up all night." Then he got this playful look and said, "Besides, I didn't want to wake the Chihuahua and risk her being grumpy and yappy."

I just rolled my eyes and went back upstairs to change. I put on sweatpants instead of shorts since it was chilly outside and grabbed my hoodie before skipping down the stairs.

"Let's go Jack! I have five minutes." I yelled from the kitchen as I put my drink in the fridge and walked to the front door.

"Actually, you have four." He said as he appeared through the living room doorway.

"Well then let's go!" I said as I walked out the door, he followed, and I locked the door. I started off in a dead run down the road away from the neighborhood.

After a while of running I got confused. "Jack, what time is it?"

He had changed to a wolf so the neighbors didn't freak out so he changed back and looked at his watch. His eyes widened and I began to get nervous.

"Jack? What time is it?"

He hesitated before answering, "Miri, it's ten minutes past ten."

"Oh, my, gosh... Why didn't I change?!" I started shaking, not because it was cold, but because I was scared. I _need_ to be a wolf. I _need_ to be free!

"I don't know. Wait, how old are you again?"

"I'm fourteen but I'll be fifteen tomorrow." I said hoping that would help him.

"Dang, that old geezer wasn't lying!" he said as he shook his head and ran his fingers through his black hair.

"What are you talking about? What old geezer?" I said as I searched his eyes.

"He was my alpha in Tennessee. He used to always talk about how this 'young lady' would show up and pass us all with her abilities. He said she would mature at sixteen but on her fifteenth birthday she would start a short 'wolf-puberty' where all kinds of weird things would happen to her. He wasn't specific about that part though."

Even though I was scared I thought about this seriously. "Do you think that girl could possibly be me?"

He shrugged. "It could be, but who knows?"

"Do you think he could help me?"

"He may be able to, but I'm not sure. He's really crazy."

"Well crazy or not, I need to meet him." I said with full determination.

"Are you sure? It would take a while to get up there. Why don't we just wait and see what happens?"

I looked up into Jacks eyes and said, "Jack, I need to be a wolf. I need to know what's wrong with me. If you think that guy could help me then take me to him."

He didn't hesitate. "Fine. What about Alana and David? They would have to come too, right?"

"Yeah, could you send them a warning message? Tell them we'll be late tonight." I started walking.

"Sure, but why will we be late?"

"I can't run anymore." I said, giving a little laugh, and sighed. Running so fast for so long is kind of tiring. I have to figure out what's wrong with me! I have to change. I just have to! I need to feel the wind blowing through my fur as I fly over the ground, in a race against nothing.

Jack sat down and began sending the message, and a few minutes later two very concerned howls responded in harmony. One a deeper voice and the other voice a little higher. My voice would fit in as the highest.

Jack said they were waiting patiently and were very upset that they couldn't talk to me directly.

It would be a half hour walk to get to the meeting place so we took our time, letting me catch my breath from all-out running for almost ten minutes straight.

****

When we arrived at the meeting spot it was a little after ten thirty and I could tell that both Alana and David were concerned and confused. Jack had to stay a wolf so David and Alana could communicate with me. Jack told them what happened; He told them all about his alpha back home in Tennessee, and how he could help me.

When Jack was finished, David looked at me with his mature and understanding, deep brown eyes, and whined and grunted as though he was asking a question.

Jack repeated what David said in my head. He said, "Miri, are you sure about this? We could just wait and see what happens. I'm sure everything will be ok."

I was getting tired of them saying 'we could just wait and see what happens'. I didn't want to wait!

I gave him a determined look and said, "How could you know I'm ok? I need to know for sure what's happening to me. Jack knows someone who can possibly help me! Don't you want to protect me? Don't you want to know what's wrong?" I was beginning to get mad, and as Jack told them what I just said, the idea of going alone was getting better and better. _But no way was I going alone with Jack! I have to talk them into it!_

David replied with, "Of course I want to protect you! But Miri we don't have a way to get there. I could ask my relatives for some money but I can't ask for a car also! Where would we stay? How would we get there? We're not prepared to travel!"

Before I could reply Jack interrupted my thoughts. "Miri, I have money. Money's not a problem. We would travel by night so they could run and we could ride my motorcycle. During the day we could stay at a hotel and rest then start traveling again at night. I know the quickest way there and it's through back roads so they could run beside us in the woods. When we get there we could stay in my cabin in the mountains. My old alpha bought all of his pack nice cabins to stay in so we wouldn't have to live in the underground caverns in the mountains. Do you want me to tell David?"

I shook my head 'yes' excitedly and he began explaining his plan to David and Alana. Jack probably planned this whole thing while we walked here. I smiled, happy that he was so smart and so concerned that he would make up such a brilliant plan.

I could see amazement light up David's eyes, and when Jack finished David thought for a few minutes and then nodded. I didn't need Jack to tell me that he agreed, so I lunged myself at David and threw my arms around his furry neck.

Jack said in my head, "He said he will allow all of us to go and for you to meet my alpha, but he still wants to wait a little while to see if it's just a false alarm."

I rolled my eyes as I stood up, but I couldn't go against David. So I said I'd wait, but not long. At least not much after 1am when David and Alana changed back.

I started shaking- this time I was cold- and David muttered and order to Jack. Jack changed and gave me his humongous jacket, that was warm and cozy, and told me that he was to take me to his apartment to keep me safe. I looked at David and he gave me a sorry and concerned look.

I looked back at Jack after I waved 'bye' to Alana and David, and his eyes were more reserved and frozen than they were before. He must not like taking orders from David. He _is_ older than David. I sighed. _He'll just have to get over it, _I thought.

****

On the way to his apartment, it was getting harder and harder for me to walk straight. I didn't realize I was tired until Jack stopped me by getting in front of me and putting his hands on my shoulders. He was so tall he had to bend over a little to reach my shoulders. He said, "Miri it would be easier to walk with your eyes _open_. Are you that tired?"

I shook my head and blinked hard several times to try to wake myself up but it didn't really work. "I'm fine." I lied, and moved his arms so I could continue walking.

"Not changing into a wolf is probably causing you to be tired. Normal people sleep this time of night. I guess changing into a wolf re-energizes you so you can stay awake. No wonder you're tired." He said partly thinking out loud.

"Yeah." I mumbled half asleep. I didn't know how long I could stay awake, and that scared me. I was already alone with Jack. I didn't need to fall asleep at his apartment. I knew he wouldn't hurt me, but still, I had to try my best to stay awake! I slapped my face a couple times, shook my head, blinked hard, and jumped up and down a few times and that seemed to give me some energy.

Jack laughed at my attempts to stay awake and said, "If you're that sleepy I could carry you while you rested."

"I'm not sleepy! I'm fine." I said, and then yawned. _Great_, I thought, _He's really gonna believe me now!_

"Suure you are." He said. Then he began singing,

"_You are my sunshine,_

_My only sunshine._

_You make me happy,_

_When skies are gray._"

My feet started to drag and my eyelids began to droop. "That's not fair…" I said then rubbed my eyes. He kept singing,

"_You'll never know dear,_

_How much I love you._

_Please don't take my sunshine-_"

And my knees buckled under me, but I could care less if I fell, I was too out of it to care. He caught me before I hit the ground and cradled me and I leaned my head against his shoulder. He finished the song with,

"_Please don't take my sunshine away._"

Then everything went black.

* * *

**((I loved that song when I was little . it didn't put me to sleep though xD))**


End file.
